Social Work Practice in Community Organization, Management and Policy/Evaluation (edX)

Learn about macro social work and how to have large scale impact on entire communities and systems of care. In this social science course we will discuss various methods, strategies and skills within macro social work practice, used to help identify and address needs on a larger scale. You will gain knowledge and skills in the areas of community organizing, management, and policy advocacy, and learn about the various roles social workers play within these areas.

This course will provide an appreciation of the historical and contemporary importance of these social work methods and the relevance of these methods for diverse populations and identities.

We will focus on:

- understanding the context of macro practice;

- identifying community and organizational interventions to address social needs and problems;

- organizing and building relationships within communities and organizations;

- organization-based and community-based policy making, planning, and program development.

You will also learn concepts and practice skills involving assessment, problem solving and intervention planning at the macro level, and strategies to work effectively with communities and organizations. Content includes reflective practice and utilizing interpersonal skills in macro practice.

This course is part of the Social Work: Practice, Policy and Research MicroMasters Program offered by MichiganX.

What you'll learn

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the historical, social, political and economic forces that have shaped and continue to shape macro practice in social work.

2. Identify community organization, management, and policy-advocacy strategies for dealing with contemporary social work and social welfare problems.

3. Demonstrate beginning level community organization, management, and policy advocacy skills in promoting social work values.

4. Apply NASW’s Code of Ethics and other professional codes to the selection of action strategies, and in particular applying them to those situations which affect disadvantaged/discriminated against populations.

Related courses

This course is intended as a first step for learners who seek to become producers of social science research. It is organized as an introduction to the design and execution of a research study. It introduces the key elements of a proposal for a research study, and explains the role of each. It reviews the major types of qualitative and quantitative data used in social science research, and then introduces some of the most important sources of existing data available freely or by application, worldwide and for China.

This course seeks to turn learners into informed consumers of social science research. It introduces concepts, standards, and principles of social science research to the interested non-expert. Learners who complete the course will be able to assess evidence and critically evaluate claims about important social phenomena.

This resource will support Social Work educators, students and practitioners in developing Discretionary Decision Making in child protection work. It explores the "grey areas" of practice through interactive video and scenario based learning activities.

MOOCs – Massive Open Online Courses – enable students around the world to take university courses online. This guide, by the instructors of edX’s most successful MOOC in 2013-2014, Principles of Written English (based on both enrollments and rate of completion), advises current and future students how to get the most out of their online study, covering areas such as what types of courses are offered and who offers them, what resources students need, how to register, how to work effectively with other students, how to interact with professors and staff, and how to handle assignments. This second edition offers a new chapter on how to stay motivated. This book is suitable for both native and non-native speakers of English, and is applicable to MOOC classes on any subject (and indeed, for just about any type of online study).